Nice! ^I do remember having a few of those.
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Not sure what fans expectation or where they stand on Zorro's kill or no kill etiquette? Especially with the upcoming reimagined return to
Disney (I'll refrain from bringing up my usual
Zorro regularly uses a flintlock pistol/gun as part of his arsenal rant,
for now
)
Different incarnations have played it differently.
The classic McCulley pulps, Zorro had no compunction about killing when necessary to save a life.
He didn't just use his blade to mark people.
The scaring of faces with a bloody Z, was him being nice.
However it wasn't often, usually he found ways around it, yet if it came to it, after killing, he never took it lightly, and would ask the padre to pray for his soul and forgiveness.
Fairbanks is more the devil-may-care prankster, outfoxing, outwitting, and humiliating, while grimly marking his opponents, he's never shown killing.
Even the final duel where in Curse of Capistrano (pulp/novel) it's implied he kills Captain Ramon, in the film he only ever Marks him.
Fighting Legion one of my absolute favorite, Zorro's: Pistol if you are lucky gets you disarmed, as does a bullwhip, come at him one more time bro, you are getting a lethal sword to the gut. Just missing the throwing daggers there. (
Point being, Zorro has options (man with the original superhero utility belt

)
Power's Zorro kills soldiers without mercy, and most famously the demise of
(Basil Rathbone) Captain Esteban
Disney Zorro is definitely the divil-may-care, enjoying a sword fight with a smile, usually outfoxing, and humiliating his opponents was his major MO. Yet surprisingly didn't shy away from killing, if someone had it coming.
Check out that tenacious sheathing power-stance after a good kill.
Curious to see how Disney plays it this time around?
Alain Delon version, actually takes a vow to never use the Zorro identity to kill, and spends most of the film doing the clever outfoxing , pranking and marking soldiers. Yet the murder of the Padre, in effect absolves Zorro of his
never kill vow, leading to one of my favorite movie final showdown challenge lines, and scenes .......
New World seems definitely more "family" I do enjoy this clever fight move here, although likely not rated for it? I can imagine what the on set sword master had in mind, with this possibly designed to end with him stabbing his own man.
Mask cleverly played both ways, with scenes like this as he doesn't touch either, yet has them brutally take each-other out, absolute brilliant move!
Although ultimately a revenge tale, probably a lethal strike, yet Love is actually taken out by the crushing weight of his own pilfered gold.
Similarly Hopkins (who plays De La Vega) has no compunction about using their own weapons against themselves, to lethal ends. And similarly allows Montero to be dragged down by his own gold.
Most work great for a one-off final kill, yet for an ongoing series they will have to make a choice.
I think for Zorro the dviil-may-care, clever outfoxing, and "marking" humiliation should always be his main approach.
Yet killing (while he's never the Grim pulpy Shadow, or callous killer who might revel in it), when it appears necessary I think it should be part of his MO. After all his weapon of choice by design, is a lethal one.
Either way clever sword choreography is a must for any Zorro version.